Katz, Babette: Home

"A visual narrative in black and white linoleum block prints, At the Beach chronicles both the events of a day at the beach and the rise and fall of one man in a wordless cautionary tale of youth and ambition. The story begins at sunrise as the empty beach fills with people, in the midst of which an infant appears in the arms of its mother. The crowd clusters around the child, watching and supporting him as he matures into a young man. Nurtured and encouraged, the man develops lofty ambitions; he reaches - literally - for the stars. When he falls to earth, burned by the sun, he is ignored by those who raised him, who fold their umbrellas and head home, leaving him alone with the setting sun." Printed Matter.

One of 1,000 of this artist's book offset printed at Visual Studies Workshop. Illustrated with linoleum cuts.

"How they found out what it was is an examination of the development of an "idée fixe". Two girls discover a mushroom. They endow it with meaning and thenceforth structures their universe… This [book] emphasizes how perception can arbitrarily be altered by preconception." — Artist's statement from Center for the Book Arts website, viewed March 13, 2017.

In this charming and purely visual progression of linocuts, a crowd of humans step into the ocean, are tossed by waves, cavort on red and white stripes, a blue field, whirl around firework bursts and are eventually transformed into stars on the American flag. Printed, of course, in red, white and blue plus black.-- from Printed Matter Limited edition of 700 copies.

Limited edition of 1,000 copies.